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SimpleManufacturing™ Resources

Manufacturing Knowledge Base & ERP Guides

Explore practical manufacturing guides, how-to articles, best practices, and lessons learned from more than 24 years of developing, implementing, and supporting manufacturing ERP software.

Our Knowledge Base covers inventory control, Material Requirements Planning, Bills of Materials, Work Orders, production scheduling, shop floor tracking, engineering changes, quality management, traceability, actual costing, Microsoft Access, SQL Server, and other topics important to small and midsize manufacturers.

Explore Manufacturing Topics

Start with one of these core manufacturing topics or browse all Knowledge Base articles below.

Browse All Knowledge Base Articles

Review the latest manufacturing how-to guides, best practices, software explanations, and lessons learned.

Splitting Access Database_ Front-End & Back-End

Why and How to Split a Microsoft Access Database into Front-End and Back-End for Multi-User Applications

Learn why and how to split a Microsoft Access application into local front ends and a shared back end to improve performance, reliability, maintenance, deployment, and multi-user operation.
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Excel vs. ERP Software for Manufacturing

Excel vs. ERP Software for Manufacturing

Learn when growing manufacturers should replace disconnected spreadsheets with ERP software that integrates inventory, purchasing, Work Orders, production scheduling, quality, traceability, costing, and accounting.
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SimpleManufacturing Account Receivables

Account Receivables – Invoices and Receipts

Learn about Invoice and Payment Receipts in SimpleManufacturing. Learn How Invoices are automatically created and the flexibility of recording payments of those Invoices.
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Employee training management software connecting training requirements, competency levels, training records, certifications, expiration alerts, gap analysis, and manufacturing compliance

Employee Training Management Best Practices for Manufacturing

Learn About Employee Training within the Manufacturing Industry, Best Practices for Establishing Training Requirements, Communicating Training Needs and Keeping the Training and Training Records Up-To-Date
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Contract Review

Contract Review in Manufacturing: ISO 9001 and AS9100 Best Practices

Learn What is Contract Review for Manufacturing and Service Businesses, Why the Contract Review Process is Important, Benefits of Contract Review and Best Practices
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Manufacturing Purchase Order workflow connecting MRP, approved suppliers, quality clauses, scheduled deliveries, receiving inspection, inventory, and invoice matching

Purchase Orders in Manufacturing: Complete Procurement and ERP Guide

Learn What the Term Purchase Order means, the Purposes of Purchase Orders in Manufacturing Software, How they Are Created and the Unique Demands of Manufacturing Businesses
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BOM Bill Of Material

BOM Management – Definition, Types and Benefits

Learn What is a BOM or Bill Of Material, Benefits of a BOM, the Details of BOMs and Types of BOMs and BOM Structure
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Engineering Change Order workflow showing change request, impact analysis, cross-functional approval, BOM and routing revision, implementation, and verification

Engineering Change Order Management for Manufacturing

Learn how manufacturers control engineering changes through structured ECO workflows covering BOM and routing revisions, approvals, impact analysis, effectivity, document control, inventory, and production implementation.
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Manufacturing order management workflow connecting customer orders, contract review, MRP, Work Orders, production, shipping, and invoicing

Manufacturing Order Management Software: From Customer Order to Complete Fulfillment

Learn what Customer Order Managment is in Manufacturing Software, Why it is Important, Considerations when choosing an ERP Solution, and the Key Features of SimpleManufacturing Order Management module.
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